Decell “After Dark Low Qualifier” is Northwest Nationals Friday night highlight
Qualifying is exceptionally important in NHRA’s Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. To determine seeds for Sunday eliminations, as many as five sessions may be held to determine who’s in and who’s out of the game. The customary scheduling has two sessions on the first day of competition and a pair on the second; in some cases qualifying may run on a single day, as we’ve seen this year with the Virginia race last month that was a two-day event.
The best part of Friday’s qualifying round at the Seattle race, which is being held at night for a second year, is the sight of nitro flames. To embrace that, NHRA announced that the exceptionally popular Friday night qualifying is returning to Pacific Raceways during the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals. And there’s an added incentive to do well, with the advent of the Deecell Power Systems “After Dark Low Qualifier” bonus.
Bonus monies go to the low qualifier July 18 in all four professional Mission Foods Drag Racing Series classes that compete this year at Pacific Raceways: Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle.
Beginning at 8:15PM on Friday night, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle kick off the Deecell “After Dark Low Qualifier”, while the pair of nitro classes, Funny Car and Top Fuel, are scheduled to compete beginning at 9:15PM. The low qualifier in each of the two nitro classes will earn $4,000 while the Pro Stock low qualifier earns $2,500 and the two-wheel Pro Stock Motorcycle low qualifier gets $1,500. This adds a great incentive – not that a racer needs more incentives to go fast – to produce an exciting night session for both competitors and fans.
“Partnering with NHRA was a no-brainer for us,” Andrew Moeck, founder of Deecell confirmed. “We wanted to give back to the racing community, and this award is one way we’re doing it. There’s nothing like watching the professional race teams under the lights in Seattle and it deserves recognition. We’ve built Deecell to solve real problems racers face,” he continued, “but it’s also changing the game for the broader transportation industry. This is just another chance to connect with the people we built it for – both at the track and on the road.”
Moeck has been part of the drag racing community for decades and got tired of dealing with loud, fuel-hungry generators both at the venues where he raced and on the road. By 2024, he’d had more than he could take and built a solution that didn’t just replace fossil fuel generators; it outperformed them. Deecell’s Solar Power Units (SPUs) deliver reliable and continuous 120V AC power without fumes, noise or the cost of fuel. They were designed to dramatically reduce non-drive-time idle in sleeper cabs and power race haulers, fleet trucks and mobile operations. Even when engines aren’t ignited, Deecell solar units can keep air conditioning, lighting, devices and workstations running cleanly, Moeck explained.
“Introducing the Deecell ‘After Dark Low Qualifier’ bonus is a thrilling addition for Seattle’s Friday night session,” agreed Brad Gerber, NHRA vice president and chief development officer. “Last year’s inaugural nighttime qualifying session was electric, and now, with extra money on the line for the quickest run under the lights, we look forward to building on that energy. Deecell’s continued support of NHRA and our racers is very exciting to see and there’s no doubt Pacific Raceways is going to be the place to be on Friday – and all weekend!”
The Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals is scheduled for July 18-20, with the Friday night session accompanied by three qualifying sessions on Saturday that include Mission Foods’ #2Fast2Tasty Challenge contests for all four classes. Eliminations are set for Sunday and will be broadcast on FOX, with elimination coverage on Sunday at 4:30PM ET. Last year’s victors were four-time champion Steve Torrence in Top Fuel, Austin Prock for John Force Racing in Funny Car, Elite Motorsport’s Jeg Coughlin Jr. in Pro Stock and Chase Van Sant’s maiden victory in Pro Stock Motorcycle, racing his Suzuki with WAR Racing.